Contrary to popular belief, potatoes are a terrific source of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants. It’s no wonder that they have been a staple food for many cultures throughout history. For the month of March, in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, we salute the not-so-humble potato.
This week’s recipe for Scalloped Potatoes was sent to CCSA as part of a series of emails from our resident chef, Dr. Linda Doody. She began sharing her extensive collection of favorite recipes and testing of new recipes with friends, family, and the CCSA team as a means of maintaining connections during the COVID-19 pandemic and it has since become a company tradition.
“Laughter is brightest where food is best.”
–Irish proverb.
Ingredients
- 3 cups pared, very thinly sliced potatoes (Dr. Doody recommends Yukon gold. A food processor with slicing blade produces consistently thin slices. A mandoline can be used to control the thickness so that the slices do not break as easily after parboiling)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 Tbsp flour
- 3–6 Tbsp butter
- ¼ cup finely chopped onions and/or chives
- 1¼ cups milk or cream (2% milk is fine)
- 1¼ teaspoons salt
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon dry mustard
- ¼ cup grated cheese (optional) (This is not in the original recipe. Parmesan, gruyère, or white cheddar are good options)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 10-inch baking dish.
- Bring water and salt to a boil in a large saucepan and add potatoes. Parboil for 6–8 minutes, then carefully remove from the water and drain well. Meanwhile, heat the milk/cream and season with salt, paprika, and dry mustard.
- Place the drained potatoes in the prepared baking dish in 3 layers, sprinkling each layer with flour and onions/chives and dotting with butter. Pour the milk/cream mixture over the potatoes. If using, sprinkle cheese over the top. Bake until potatoes are tender and milk has been absorbed, about 35 minutes.
Notes
The recipe is reportedly for 6 servings, but for a hungry group it should be doubled. This is comfort food at its best.
The Joy of Cooking: A Compilation of Reliable Recipes with a Casual Culinary Chat, originally written by Irma Starkloff Rombauer, a St. Louis homemaker, and illustrated by her daughter, Marion Rombauer Becker, was privately published in 1931. The cookbook has been in print continuously since 1936 and has sold more than 20 million copies. One of the most useful chapters is Know Your Ingredients, placed (oddly) in the middle of the book. In addition to descriptions of individual ingredients and recipes for marinades, stocks, and vinegars, it has very handy tables of substitutions/equivalents (e.g., 8 large egg whites = 1 cup) and measurement conversions.